Due to its geographical location, the Chittagong port channel is prone to siltation. With regular dredging, the channel reaches a maximum depth of 9.5 meters during high tide, which drops to around 6 to 7 meters during low tide. Because of this depth limitation, large ships cannot dock at the port. According to experts, in addition to this challenge, complications in customs procedures and weak connectivity with the country's economic hubs are also keeping Chittagong port below international standards. They believe that no matter how efficient the management authority is, it will not be able to improve the port's performance under these circumstances significantly.
Ships that can dock at Singapore Port have a draft — the part of the ship that remains underwater — of up to 16 meters. Colombo Port in Sri Lanka allows ships with up to 18 meters draft. In Vietnam, the Saigon Port supports ships with a draft of up to 11.5 meters. Meanwhile, Vietnam's Cai Mep Port has become a major deep-sea port capable of handling the world's largest container ships, with drafts ranging from 16 to 18 meters. In contrast, Chittagong Port's maximum depth is only 9.5 meters, and that too only during high tide.
In today's world, large ships transport goods by sea, each capable of carrying between 10,000 and 20,000 standard containers. These ships typically require a depth of 12 to 15 meters to operate. Due to the shallowness of Chittagong port's channel, such large vessels cannot enter. As a result, ships bound for Bangladesh usually anchor first at ports like Singapore or Colombo. From there, cargo is transferred to smaller feeder vessels carrying 1,000 to 2,000 containers. This process is both time-consuming and costly.
Large cargo vessels that carry bulk commodities like rice, wheat, sugar, edible and fuel oils, and coal typically have a minimum draft of at least 12 meters. Some types of cargo ships even have drafts as deep as 25 meters. Naturally, these ships also cannot dock at Chittagong Port. Instead, they anchor in the deep sea and transfer their cargo to the port using lighter vessels. As a result, when these lighter vessels are disrupted due to bad weather or strikes, the supply chain of essential goods is affected.
Over time, the width and depth of the Chittagong Port channel at the mouth of the Karnaphuli River have decreased. Without regular dredging, silt builds up near the jetties, disrupting ship movement. According to a report by the Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael), ports like Chittagong and others in the region may eventually turn into inland river ports if navigability continues to decline.
Professor Ainun Nishat, a water resource expert, has remarked that Chittagong Port has no future. Speaking to Bonik Barta, he said, "There is no longer a viable solution to the navigability issue at Chittagong Port. The current depth is around 26 to 27 feet (roughly 8 meters). A permanent solution might have been possible if the channel could have been rerouted by cutting through the Chittagong EPZ area, where the river bends. However, due to infrastructure development in the area, it is no longer feasible. The opportunity was lost 50 years ago. Because of similar navigability problems, Kolkata in India has become a local river port, and Narayanganj has met the same fate. Chittagong Port is heading in that direction too."
He added, "Since there is no possibility of increasing navigability, no matter how skilled the port operators are, large vessels simply won't be able to enter. And if large ships can't dock, how can the port's capacity ever be increased?"
Chittagong Port has recently come back into focus following the government's initiative to appoint a foreign operator to manage one of its terminals. In 2023, the then Awami League government decided to hand over the operation of the New Mooring Terminal to a foreign entity. The interim government is now implementing that decision. The government has stated its intention to transform Chittagong Port into a business hub for South Asia. According to the Chief Adviser, neighboring countries can also use the port.
Referring to Chittagong Port as "the heart of Bangladesh's economy," the Chief Adviser said, "We need to connect this heart with our neighbors. I've spoken about Nepal and India's seven northeastern states (the Seven Sisters). If they join, it will benefit both them and us. Those who don't will fall behind." He also emphasized the need to hand over port operations to the world's top operators.
However, port experts argue there is little room to expand Chittagong Port's capacity. Even with a foreign operator, there may not be a significant increase in productivity. Zafar Alam, former board member of Chittagong Port, told Bonik Barta, "A port's capacity isn't defined by its jetties or gantry cranes alone. Without an effective multimodal connectivity system, a port cannot become regional. Bringing in a world-class terminal operator may improve the loading and unloading processes, but with the current weak infrastructure, there's limited scope for boosting productivity."
In Vietnam, cargo is unloaded within the same day. At Colombo Port in Sri Lanka, it takes an average of three days. In Singapore, customs clearance, documentation, and delivery are typically completed within two days, although it takes slightly longer in both Colombo and Singapore due to transshipment operations.
In contrast, data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) shows that unloading a single container at Chittagong Port takes an average of 7 to 10 days. In addition to the navigability crisis, weak customs operations and poor connectivity with the country's major economic zones also reduce overall productivity. Stakeholders note that no dedicated transport routes link Chittagong Port to export hubs like Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Savar, or Cumilla. Once a container is unloaded, it takes an additional two days via road to reach its destination — a delay far from acceptable by international standards.
Business leaders have expressed concern that weaknesses in Chittagong Port's infrastructure and management, and the lack of proper connectivity, are negatively impacting the country's import-export operations. They say that shipping now takes more than twice the time required for production. Syed M Tanvir, managing director of Pacific Jeans Group, told Bonik Barta, "There is no dedicated express logistics corridor between Chittagong Port and Dhaka. Goods from the port are transported alongside regular traffic. The option for rail-based container transport is also minimal."
While the port authority claims that the development of the Matarbari Deep Sea Port will address Chittagong Port's limitations, it is working to establish it as a regional transshipment hub. Rear Admiral Syed Mohammad Moiruzzaman, chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority, told Bonik Barta, "Operations at the Matarbari Deep Sea Port will begin in 2029. Once it is operational, the limitations of Chittagong Port will be resolved."
Despite the chairman's optimism, business leaders say that the new port may not be very effective unless there is strong connectivity between Matarbari and the country's economic hubs. Aameir Alihussain, managing director of BSRM Group, told Bonik Barta, "Matarbari Port is a promising dream. But to turn it into reality, it's not just about draft depth and jetties. There must be multi-level connectivity, stakeholder coordination, skilled manpower, uninterrupted operational systems, and sound international trade agreements. If we see that the average time and cost of getting shipments from Matarbari to factories is going up, then instead of being helpful, it will become a barrier for business."